Black Philanthropy Month: The Power of The Collective

African Americans have a long history of philanthropy and supporting their communities where and how they can. In fact, according to NPR, a study by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation revealed that African-Americans donate more of their income to charities than any other demographic. 

Yet this tradition of giving is tied not only to donating money, but also giving in the form of time, food and even offering up a place to stay in one’s home. As Maya Angelou once wrote in her memoir, The Heart of A Woman, “Our mercy was well known. During the ‘30s Depression, white hobos left freight trains and looked for Black neighborhoods. They would appear hungry at the homes of the last hired and first fired, and were never turned away. The migrants were given cold biscuits, leftover beans, grits and whatever Black folks could spare.”

National Black Philanthropy Month has come to a close, which was started in 2011 by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland and serves as a call to action for all African Americans, African descendants and their allies to recognize and promote the power of giving to transform communities. To get some personal insights on the spirit behind Black Philanthropy Month, I (virtually) sat down with Black philanthropists to hear their perspectives for a Consciously Unbiased LinkedIn Live conversation. 

We talked about what it means to be a Black philanthropist, what action steps people can take to support Black philanthropy, and the impact of funding Black causes on the Black community, and the world at large.You can listen to the full conversation here, and read on for some key takeaways.

Black Philanthropy Is The Giving of Self 

“What I understand Black philanthropy to be is that we give of what we have or we share what we have—not because we are looking for some reward someplace else—but because it's what's necessary for our communities to thrive.” 

~E. Bomani Johnson, Executive Director, Nafasi Fund

Black Philanthropy Is Ancestral  

“Black philanthropy is ancestral, right? It is the perspective that any and everything is philanthropy. So when we prioritize community with staples like fish fries and rent parties, it's your mom watching your children so that you can work. It's the collection plate that's getting passed an extra time so that we can raise money for our babies. When they go to college, it's the plate of food that your auntie always puts to the side for the neighbor that might be too proud to admit that they're hungry. So much of Black life outside of what comes out of our pockets is philanthropy, in the essence of the love of brothers.” 

~ Erinn Corbett-Wright, Senior Manager, Workforce Development, Salesforce & Founder, Ethos Advisory Services

 Create Better Metrics For Success 

“If people are living in extended stays because of inflation and the number of evictions are [going up], what can they do with the full-size ham and canned goods if they don't have access to a stove or refrigerator? So, follow the money of the programs and the things that we're funding, because it's nice to say we put $100,000 into the community and food services, but did you actually feed the community?” 

~Crystal Perry, Educator, President, Melanated PEARL Corporation & Consciously Unbiased Facilitator 

Fund The People On The Ground In The Community 

“A gap I've seen is white-founded organizations who then place a Black or brown figurehead. And now the Black or brown figurehead is the one gaining the funds, because they have access to the white, wealthy networks. But the grassroots organizations who are more impactful, who are started by people from the community, aren't getting the funding because they don't have access to those networks. So, actually funding the people from the community who are doing the thing—versus the people who parachuted into the community with a savior mentality and place a figurehead at the top—is a big obstacle.” 

~Dr. Crystal Menzies, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at EmancipatED 

Through our conversation, a lot of what I heard about Black philanthropy inside the community centered around a “we” mentality, and giving without expecting anything back. It also reminded me that to be an effective ally, the best thing we can do is listen with the intent to understand instead of making assumptions, and then take action steps to provide the help that’s really needed. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below: What does philanthropy mean to you?